'Investigations Take Time': NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy Discusses Initial Report Of The DCA Crash

2 days ago

On Thursday during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing about the preliminary NTSB report on the DCA midair collision, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy reminded Congress that the people lost in the tragedy are more than just numbers on a data sheet.

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Transcript

00:00Chairman Moran, Ranking Member Duckworth, Chairman Cruz, Ranking Member Cantwell, and members of the subcommittee, for the opportunity to provide you with an update

00:08on our investigation of the midair collision that occurred over the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport on January 29th.

00:17The NTSB knows tragedy all too well.

00:20We experience it every day, which is why we fight so hard for safety.

00:26Yesterday, we remembered the six lives lost during the collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore a year ago.

00:32Today, we once again mourn the 67 lives lost at DCA,

00:37the seven in Philadelphia, ten in Nome, Alaska.

00:42We often talk about safety in terms of numbers. Did accidents,

00:47fatalities go up or down?

00:49It's important that we remember today that those who died at DCA and in other accidents

00:54we investigate aren't numbers.

00:57As you said, these are mothers, fathers,

00:59sons, daughters,

01:01wives, husbands,

01:02cousins, best friends who won't be there with their loved ones for Easter egg hunts,

01:09Passover seders, the end of Ramadan, Mother's Day, Father's Day,

01:14graduation, all of life's celebrations.

01:17Their families and friends, whether in person or online, are here today.

01:21I can only imagine

01:24what they're going through and I want to take a moment to again express our deepest sympathies to each of them.

01:32Please know that we keep you in our hearts as we diligently work to determine how this tragedy happened so no one, no one,

01:41experiences the deeply significant loss you must feel today.

01:45NTSB was on scene that night within an hour of the collision and we remained there for over a month.

01:52Work continues to this day, including diving operations to recover personal effects and any remaining portions of the wreckage.

02:01On March 11th, we released our preliminary report which contains only factual information that we've gathered in the first few weeks,

02:09all of which can change throughout the course of the investigation.

02:13It doesn't include analysis or findings, nor does it determine probable cause. Those will be in our final report.

02:21But we don't wait for a final report to take action if we uncover critical safety issues that require immediate attention,

02:29which is why in conjunction with the release of our preliminary report, we also issued two urgent safety recommendations to the FAA.

02:37In both reports, we cited FAA surveillance data that showed between October 2021 and December 2024,

02:47there were over 15,000 close proximity events between commercial aircraft and helicopters at DCA.

02:54In reviewing that and other data, including airport operations and established helicopter routes,

03:00we determined that the separation distances between helicopter traffic operating on Route 4 and aircraft using Runways 1-5 and 3-3 are insufficient

03:16and pose an intolerable risk to aviation safety.

03:20As a result, we recommended that the FAA prohibit operations on Helicopter Route 4 between Haynes Point and Wilson Bridge

03:29when those runways are being used for departures and arrivals.

03:33We also recommended that the FAA designate an alternative helicopter route that can be used to facilitate travel between Haynes Point and the Wilson Bridge when that segment of Route 4 is closed.

03:45I want to commend Secretary Duffy for his swift acceptance of our recommendations.

03:51The Secretary and the Acting Administrator and the General have been tremendous partners throughout the course of this investigation and I want to thank them for their commitment to safety.

04:04I know we're all searching for answers, the right safety solutions, but the NTSB is the gold standard for accident investigations for a reason.

04:15We are thorough and we're fact-based.

04:18We leave no stone unturned and we let the evidence guide us.

04:24Investigations take time.

04:26We have a lot of work to do in this investigation, from interviews to analyses of large volumes of documents and data to review.

04:36To air carrier operations that we have to review, helicopter operations, air traffic control, human performance, helicopter airworthiness, flight recorders, and more.

04:49In total, we have about 40 NTSB experts leading this investigation in collaboration with the parties and others and we're aiming to complete this investigation within one year.

05:04Barring, of course, any unforeseen circumstances.

05:08Now I want to close by thanking you for your steadfast support of the NTSB and I look forward to answering your questions.

'Investigations Take Time': NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy Discusses Initial Report Of The DCA Crash

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